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Importance and Effects of Exercising Lenience in Islamic Hadiths

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Importance and Effects of Exercising Lenience in Islamic Hadiths Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 Importance and Effects of Exercising Lenience in Islamic Hadiths Majid Roohi Dehkrdi1, Mohammad Shariati Kamal Abadi2, Ehsan Roohi Dehkordi3 Abstract Lenience is one of the highly repeated ethical recommendations in Islamic teachings and Muslims have been encouraged to act out and stay adherent to this ethical virtue as stated in many hadiths that express its lofty position and importance and mention its advantages. People’s differences in notions, perspectives, tastes, intellectual capabilities and so forth and their flaws are amongst the matters more revealing the necessity and high position of lenience and exercising it. Lenience means soft and mild treating of the others for such a reason as repelling their wrongdoings towards one’s own self or for such a purpose as not offending them and making them go away from one’s own self or even both. Descriptions like the most admired virtue, being of the same rank as the fulfilling of the obligations, being one of the best deeds, being the fruit of the intellect, being the prelude of wisdom and so forth about lenience in the Islamic hadiths are alone reflective of the importance of this action as viewed by the religion; the followings can be pointed out amongst its effects and advantages: keeping oneself safe against the damages, evildoings and deceits of the others, keeping religion and the human world sound, attracting the opponents to the religion and emergence of friendship and brotherhood. Keywords: Exercising Lenience, Importance of Lenience, Effects of Lenience, Islamic Hadiths 1. Introduction: The necessity of the existence of coherence and solidarity amongst the people of a society and the importance of the existence of good socialization, kindness and sympathy with the fellow religious brothers and other society members and also the importance of establishing security, tranquility and stability in every human community are all favorable matters to a society and their values and positions are well clear to everyone. However, the existence of various and occasionally opposite perspectives, ideas, perceptions and tastes about different subjects and the differences in the individuals’ spirits and their intellectual and mental competencies as well as the existence of flaws in almost all the people except the immaculate Imams (peace be upon them) and the existence of more or less waxing and waning mistakes and faults in the behavior, words and thoughts of the people, on the other hand, are part of the undeniable realities and objectivities of every human community and they may set the ground for the emergence of tension and 1 Corresponding author, assistant professor, faculty of letters and humanities, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran 2 Assistant professor, faculty of letters and humanities, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran 3 Assistant professor, faculty of letters and humanities, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran Volume XII, Issue VII, 2020 Page No: 1086 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 harsh reactions and occasionally conflict and engagement between the individuals or groups. Therefore, considering the existence of these realities in the human communities, solutions should be sought so that the aforesaid favorable issues can be actualized. It is evident that there are legal solutions for achieving these goals along with ethical solutions that can be very much effective and promising in this regard. One of the most important and wisest of these solutions is the society members, tribes and factions’ exercising of lenience or having lenient temperaments and dispositions with which such wants as unity and solidarity, kindness, sympathy, security and tranquility can be hopefully acquired in the society level despite the existence of the aforementioned inevitable realities. Drawing attentions to the existence of these same realities and offering solutions for proper treating of the others in the face of them and correct management of the human beings’ individual and social life affairs might be one aspect of all the great many of the emphases and recommendations made by the immaculate imams (peace be upon them) about lenience and other similar titles like having mild and temperate dispositions, forbearance, laxness and softness, controlling the anger, forgiveness and clemency, peacefulness and reconciliation, abnegation and so forth as well as notable emphases made in the Islamic teachings on the acceptance of the others’ excuses and staying away from contention and dispute and other things of the like. The immaculate religious leaders (peace be upon them) whose practical and behavioral way of conduct is replete with numerous manifestations of exercising lenience have presented valuable speeches about various aspects of lenience like its importance and position, the quality of its application, its outcomes and advantages, its boundaries, cases of deserting it and so on and it can be stated that those highnesses have actually intended to encourage Muslims to act out and remain adherent to this moral virtue by expressing the importance and lofty position of lenience and expressing its effects and advantages. Lack of lenience means showing mutual or stinging reaction towards the annoying or unfavorable words or behaviors of the others and this is the reaction or action or utterance that can be demonstrated at the same time or, if s/he cannot or does not want to react on that time, s/he may seek for a proper opportunity to react. But, lenience means abstaining from such reaction. In the meanwhile, lenience does not mean confirming and accepting the others’ improper behavior or words rather it is a solution that is utilized for a special purpose; and, as it will be stated in this research, such an intention can be protecting one’s own self or one’s own subordinates against the harms, not forcing the offending person to break out, making him or her regret what s/he has done or said and warning him or her and giving him or her an ethical lesson or, occasionally, all of them and, finally, it can be for getting close to the vicinity of the God. And, beyond all these, having lenient dispositions and exercising lenience can be followed in social aspect, as it was mentioned, by good Volume XII, Issue VII, 2020 Page No: 1087 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 socialization with others and actualization of unity and solidarity amongst the society members, as well. After exploring the literal and common meaning of the term “lenience” in the present study, use will be made of the Islamic teachings so as to deal with the importance and position of lenience from the perspective of religion followed by the investigation of the most important effects and advantages thereof. The present study’s research method is purposive compiling of the relevant materials and classifying, explicating and analyzing them based on the study subject, if necessary, and, finally, summing and concluding the findings. 2. Meaning of Lenience: Lenience is equivalent in Arabic to Modāra’āt or Modāra’at which are infinitives rhyming with “Mofā’alah” and have been derived from the root “Dar’e” or “Dary” (Ibn Manzour, 1994, 1:71 & 14: 254-255). Considering the foresaid meanings and applications for the two infinitives “Dar’e” and “Dary” and their verbal inflections as introduced in authentic Arabic lexical books, it can be stated that the main meaning of “Dary” is “fetching or obtaining through conception of a type” and that the main meaning of “Dar’e” is repelling (driving back and avoiding and forcing back) (see also Farahidi, 1989, 8: 60-61; Ibn Fars, 1983, 2: 271-274; Abu Helal Askari, 1980, 213; Raqeb, 1992, 312; Ibn Manzour, 1994, 1: 71 & 14: 254-255 and Mostafavi, 1989, 3: 208). The Arabic and Persian word “Modārā” has been most likely derived from the root “Dar’e” in regard of its common meaning; that is to say it has been actually “Modāra’at” and has been transformed [reduced] into the letter “a” for ease of [أ] its Hamzeh pronunciation. Moreover, as stated by the lexicographers, “Dāra’ah” means “repelling” and “Dārāh” means “deceiving” (Ibn Manzour, 1994, 1:71-72 & 14: 254-255; Ibn Fars, 1983, 2: 273 and Abu Helal Askari, 1980, 213). But, of course, these meanings are the main meanings of the two words because there are also other meanings stated in Arabic dictionaries for these two verbs (see also, Ibn Manzour, 1994, 1: 71 & 14: 255; Jowhari, 1987, 1: 49 & 6: 2335 and Toraihi, 1996, 1: 137). Mentioning the hadith that “the perfect state of the mind is having faith in God followed by exercising lenience towards the people”, the author of Lesān Al-Arab says that “the hadith means that one should treat people mildly and softly and socialize with them in a good way and tolerate them so that they might not break away from you” (Ibn Manzour, 1994, 14: 255). In explaining the essence of this meaning for Modārā [lenience], he states that “Modārāt is used in two forms of “Modāra’āt” and “Modāra’ah” and means treating people with good temperaments and good behaviors; in case of being used with Hamzeh, it means trying to keep oneself immune of their wrongdoings and in case of being used without Hamzeh, it is derived from “Darayto” meaning “Khatalto” meaning “deception”; as an example “Darayto Al-Zzab-ya” means “I deceived the deer and hid somewhere to hunt it””(Ibid, 1:71 & 14:255). So, Modārā, i.e. without Hamzeh, actually means Volume XII, Issue VII, 2020 Page No: 1088 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 exhibiting mild behavior accompanied with soft tricks towards the others so that they might not break away from one’s own self.
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